Top 10 Worst Portrayals of Video Game Characters

WatchMojo

Video game movies have a tough time! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the least faithful portrayals of video game characters across film and TV.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the least faithful portrayals

00:18of video game characters across film and TV.

00:29Number 10.

00:30Jake Gyllenhaal as The Prince – Prince of Persia – The Sands of Time

00:34In a bold attempt to kick off a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque franchise, Jake Gyllenhaal

00:39starred in the Prince of Persia film adaption.

00:53The game of the same title follows an unnamed hero who controls time to fight monsters and

00:58maneuver through platforming puzzles.

01:03Gyllenhaal's prince is named Destan, and he's more concerned with overthrowing the

01:07corrupt King of Persia than slashing through monsters.

01:10The Dagger of Time is faithful to the original game, but it's worth mentioning that Gyllenhaal

01:15himself is not of Persian descent.

01:17He probably wishes he could rewind time to reject his role.

01:27Number 9.

01:28Christian Slater as Edward Carnby – Alone in the Dark

01:31What's the only thing scarier than a town of Lovecraftian creatures?

01:36A 1% on Rotten Tomatoes.

01:38Alone in the Dark games follow Edward Carnby, an average private investigator who stumbles

01:43into thrilling supernatural adventures.

01:49This movie pivots the genre from thriller to action, featuring Christian Slater as Carnby.

01:58In the games, Carnby eludes monsters through survival horror mechanics.

02:02Slater's Carnby is more of an action star, and unfortunately, the action here sucks.

02:07What do you expect when Uwe Boll is behind the camera?

02:17This iteration of Carnby faces off against creatures using superhuman physical abilities,

02:22as well as monster senses that alert him to paranormal activity.

02:26If only Slater could sense how badly this movie would bomb.

02:30Number 8.

02:31Cate Blanchett as Lilith – Borderlands Borderlands is famous for its clever dialogue

02:36and iconic cel-shaded art style.

02:39Take that away and what do you have?

02:41The 2024 Borderlands screen-to-screen adaptation starring Cate Blanchett as Lilith, alongside

02:48Jamie Lee Curtis as the similarly dull Dr. Tannis.

02:54Gamers will recognize Lilith as the 22-year-old siren who uses her phase-walk ability to switch

02:59dimensions.

03:00Cate Blanchett's Lilith, on the other hand, is a generic gunslinging bounty hunter spouting

03:04uninspired action movie cliches such as, I'm getting too old for this.

03:09Despite surviving in the wasteland, she appears poised and glamorous, untouched by the maddening

03:14environment surrounding her.

03:16This depiction of Lilith could use a little more character depth.

03:29Number 7.

03:30Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne – Max Payne The Max Payne games were instrumental in popularizing

03:36bullet time, a highly cinematic slow-motion gameplay feature.

03:46It would make sense for this to translate seamlessly into a film format.

03:49However, Mark Wahlberg's portrayal of Max Payne was so lackluster, he earned himself

03:54a Razzie for Worst Actor, turning this action hero into an Action Zero.

04:06With tropes galore, Wahlberg's performance inflicts maximum pain on the viewer and leaves

04:12us wondering how such a powerful protagonist could come off as so boring.

04:17We don't need bullet time to see this bomb coming.

04:26Number 6.

04:27Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief – Halo The Halo TV series split audiences with Master

04:32Chief himself being the key point of contention.

04:35One of the most controversial moments among die-hard Halo fans came in the show's pilot

04:40after Master Chief removes his helmet, something he has never done across any of the games.

04:48Additionally, the show features a scene with the Spartan having relations with an imprisoned

04:55member of the Covenant, the alien faction at war with humanity.

05:08Fans were conflicted, holding the sentiment that Master Chief would never remove his armor,

05:12let alone with a perceived enemy of humanity.

05:15Because of this controversy, Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief can say Halo to number 6.

05:22Number 5.

05:23Rupert Friend as Agent 47 – Hitman Agent 47

05:35Agent 47 was genetically engineered and ruthlessly trained into the most efficient contract assassin

05:40in the world.

05:41The games, while having numerous creative paths for executing targets, often steer players

05:45towards stealth eliminations for high-profile hits.

05:54Our titular killer in Hitman Agent 47 opts for brute force tactics and shootouts in broad

05:59daylight over these covert methods integral to his games.

06:09This was the second feature portrayal of Agent 47, his first being Timothy Olyphant in the

06:142007 film.

06:2247's look is easy to nail with a suit, a bald cap, and a barcode on the back of his

06:30head.

06:31Despite all of that, Rupert Friend's portrayal simply doesn't scan.

06:35Number 4.

06:36Tom Holland as Nathan Drake – Uncharted Nolan North is regarded as one of the greatest

06:40video game voice actors of all time.

06:43Tom Holland had his work cut out for him upon taking on his role as Uncharted's fearless

06:48treasure hunter Nathan Drake.

06:53This makes for a jarring contrast of personality coming from Nolan North's performance coupled

06:58with Mark Wahlberg and Victor Sullivan.

07:01The Uncharted series plunges Nathan Drake into a rich environment with thrilling parkour

07:05and puzzle segments.

07:07This movie serves as a stunted origin story to Nathan Drake's international escapades,

07:12failing to capture his adventurous spirit that games do so well.

07:21Treasure hunters beware, there's not much to salvage here.

07:30Number 3.

07:31Alicia Vigander as Lara Croft One of the most well-known female video game

07:35protagonists and co-mascot of the PlayStation game console absolutely deserves a spot on

07:40the big screen.

07:42Lara Croft, the highly decorated archaeologist and expert combatant, has been in three different

07:47film adaptations.

07:57Despite being a prominent female figure in the world of video games, 2018's Tomb Raider

08:02fails to highlight what makes Lara Croft such an engaging character.

08:08Say what you will about the Angelina Jolie movies, but at least she had fun in the role.

08:25While learning from its predecessors and keeping Lara relatively grounded in reality, audiences

08:30were split over Alicia Vigander's less-than-compelling portrayal.

08:34It seems like the hardest puzzle to solve when adapting a video game is making everybody

08:39happy.

08:40Number 2.

08:41Bob Hoskins and John Ledsguizamo as Mario Mario and Luigi Mario – Super Mario Bros.

08:49The first live-action video game movie adaptation was 1993's Super Mario Bros., which was

08:54foundational for this notorious genre.

08:57The Mario Bros. have done it all, from racing go-karts to hunting ghosts.

09:02Unfortunately, when making this campy romp of an adaptation, the writers threw all source

09:07material out the window.

09:13Fan-favorite Mario creatures such as Yoshi, Toad, and King Koopa are unrecognizable from

09:18their cutesy video game counterparts turned into overly prehistoric versions of themselves.

09:29Mario and Luigi are devoid of all personality, with characterization weaker than a World

09:34One Koopa Troopa.

09:35While being considered a cult classic, this movie was a massive box office ba-bomb.

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10:08Chun-Li is one of the most iconic protagonists in the genre of fighting games.

10:12Instantly recognizable from her martial arts skills and famous chi-pao dress, Street Fighter

10:17The Legend of Chun-Li fumbled its interpretation of this Interpol icon.

10:31Fans of the series expect brawls and broad daylight with killer combos, but scenes of

10:36Chun-Li's fights are scarce and seldom out on the street.

10:46Straying from what made Chun-Li so great in the games results in a hero as derivative

10:51as the nameless goons she beats up.

10:541994's Street Fighter garnered a cult following, but after The Legend of Chun-Li, Capcom brought

11:00the band hammered down on any live-action feature adaptations of their properties.

11:09Talk about a combo breaker.

11:11Let us know which of these portrayals made you rage quit in the comments, and don't

11:15forget to like and subscribe for more WatchMojo videos.

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